Page 41 of Taming Nikki

ChapterNineteen

NIKKI

“You sure youdon’t want a break?”

I rolled my eyes. This was the fourth time she’d asked that. “I’m sure. I don’t want that asshole to stop you before you have a chance to finish. Just keep going.”

Zoe shook her head as she restarted on the tattoo. “I’m just saying, this is usually one of the most painful spots outside of genitalia. You can have a break if you need one.”

I ignored her. I had an unusually high pain tolerance and tattoos didn’t bother me. Besides, it'd been hours since I ditched Vitale at the house, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before he showed up. I made Zoe use the back room for the tattoo, while normally I’d be out front because I like the attention. I didn’t trust Vitale not to follow through on his threat this morning, and I liked Zoe. She was flawless and easygoing and, most of all, trustworthy. She was one of the few people who knew the full picture of where I came from.

“You’re going to be an awful wife, aren’t you?” She’d been grilling me about the deal between Leo and my papa since I arrived.

I smirked. “If I ever actually wanted to settle down, I’d probably do alright. As long as the person I married let me do what I want and kept their nose out of my business.”

Zoe snorted, admonishing me when I laughed. “Don’t. You’re moving too much. These lines are delicate.”

The tattoo I chose was one I saw online and couldn’t stop staring at. Zoe took her own creative license with the original design, but she kept the things I loved about it. A mandala lotus dripping in beads that stretched out on both sides under my breasts. Technically, I may have misled Leo a little. It wasn’t on my tits like he thought, it was under them. I didn’t even have to fully take my shirt off, just hold it out of the way for Zoe. I just really enjoyed the look on his face when I told him.

“Isn’t Leo Vitale like stupid hot?”

I made a face. “No.”

She glanced up at me and raised her eyebrows. “You’re lying. I’ve heard stories about him. He’s like a crazy combo of sexy and terrifying that leaves most women panting when he passes by. Why wouldn’t you want to marry him?”

I rolled my eyes. “Because I’m not a fucking pawn, and he’s an overbearing asshole. He tried to tell me to stop my business before he even fully knew what I did. Besides, he doesn’t want me, he’s just getting revenge for me breaking into his office. He’ll eventually back down and go after someone like Bianca, obedient and full-blooded.”

She shuddered. “If he chooses your sister over you, he’s got the worst taste on the planet.”

Zoe and I had been friends since middle school. She was well acquainted with my sisters. And since she wasn’t mafia, she never cared about the fact that I was a bastard.

Enzo poked his head into the room. “Incoming.”

Zoe lifted her head with a frown. “I’ve still got at least another hour on this. Can’t you stall, lead them on a chase or something?”

The bell over the door to the tattoo shop rang, and we all froze. Slowly, Enzo shook his head. “Yeah, I’m not gonna be able to do that.” He nodded at whoever entered the shop. “Vitale.”

I ran my fingers over the handle of the knife on my leg. I wasn’t going to let Leo hurt Zoe because he was a possessive asshole. He stepped into the room, beyond furious, but he paused at the door as he took us in. Once he realized the person tattooing me was a woman, he seemed to relax a little. Ah, misogyny at its best. He still looked pissed, but not like he was about to murder someone.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he growled. He glanced at my hand, still on the knife, and raised an eyebrow. I released it and went back to holding my shirt out of Zoe’s way and ignoring him.

Zoe pursed her lips, looking between us before she shrugged. She followed my lead and focused on her job instead of the ignoramus in the doorway.

I closed my eyes to block him out for a while, but he wouldn’t take the hint. His shadow slid over me and I peeked my eyes up at him as he stood looming over my head, his expression tight.

“What do you want, Vitale?”

“You could’ve mentioned the details before your little adventure.”

I shot him a bored look. “I don’t need to justify myself to you. We’re a little busy, so would you kindly fuck off?”

Zoe’s head jerked up, her mouth wide open in a gape. She may not have been mafia, but she knew who Leo was, and the fact that I was talking to him that way seemed to bewilder her.

“Are you trying to get us killed?” she whispered harshly.

I pursed my lips. “He won’t kill us. If he does, he won’t get his way with the stupid wedding shit.”

She shot a nervous look toward Leo, but he hadn’t moved, his arms crossed over his chest. I scowled.

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